Pegboard systems are commonly used for storing tools or varied items, spaced off a vertical wall of a garage, workshop or the like. A conventional pegboard system is comprised of a flat sheet or panel with many holes arranged in equally spaced crossing rows and columns, and rigid hooks each suited to be easily inserted through one or more hole(s) to be secured to the panel at almost any location. Each hook will have a forward portion shaped to receive and hold the item to be stored, and a shank and upturned rear tab that can be inserted into or through the hole(s) to become interlocked on the panel.
As the rear hook tab protrudes beyond the rear face of the panel, the panel must be supported slightly forward of the wall, conventionally by separate furring stripes located around the perimeter of the panel. This makes fabrication and/or installation of the pegboard panel more difficult, such as merely screwing a flat panel against a wall surface.
The pegboard Systems come in two common sizes: the panels of one system having holes of nominal ⅛ inch diameter to receive hooks of nominal ⅛ inch diameter wire gauge, and the panels of the other system having holes of nominal ¼ inch diameter to receive hooks of nominal ¼ inch diameter wire gauge. Depending on the source of the pegboard systems, the nominal sizes of the hooks, hole diameters and panel thickness will actually vary, where for example a ⅛ inch hook wire gauge might be between 0.12–0.16 inch diameter, the nominal ⅛ inch hole might be up to 0.20 inch diameter, the nominal ¼ inch hook might be between 0.20–0.24 inch diameter, and the nominal ¼ inch hole might be up to 0.30 inch diameter. The panels of each system also might vary, but nominally might be ⅛ inch and ¼ inch thick.
Of interest to this invention, the panel holes of either hook size system are all of the same size, meaning that a separate panel is required for the use of each hook size. Although ⅛ inch hooks can generally be fitted on the ¼ inch panels, excessive free play can result in unstable support of the hook which can be easily dislodged and/or drop its supported item. However, ¼ inch hooks typically cannot be fitted on the ⅛ inch boards.